"Ruhro!"

Tenser's WIS is 4 higher than Stig's.

Okie dokie! Pardon the rambling tone of the following post. I opened up a word doc and took notes as I read through the thread. I spent the last few days burying someone under a heightened state of drama and emotion, rolled into town at 5am after driving all night and walked directly into the open arms of y'all's welcome insanity.

This mission, should I choose to accept it, will officially pop my pbp cherry. I haven’t even read and followed along with any of them, so I’m gonna need some help. I do have some questions. How often do posts and turns happen? How often is too often and what’s the time between posts where you veterans start thinking, “Man, why’s this guy even playing this game? Is this guy even playing this game?” How long do these games usually run, optimally of course. Point me to any PbP 101 threads that I may have missed. I like how y’all have your character sheets all fancy.

If I haven’t scared y’all off yet…

I had initially thought rogue would be a blast to run in a classic GH game with Heathy at the helm, but it looks like that is covered.

My next thought, since I look all worried about being able to keep up, would be to play something nice and simple like a fighter or something. I’ve got some fun ideas, but it looks like that role is covered pretty well too.

I don’t really want to play a spellcaster, but…I also have been percolating an idea, done already mind you, of a, pardon me Fakey, erm…fake cleric. A bard posing as a holy man.

It looks like there might be a true clerical need, but I always enjoyed playing the benchwarmer gods that don’t get as much love and action. I was thinking Rudd or Olidamara for their roguishness. Kelanen is always fun, depending on party alignment, and a few others pop into mind like Bralm or

Heathy. If you have any niche that you see needs to be filled or would just like to see thrown into a dynamic like this, I’ve never been opposed to being assigned a character role/concept/idea and fleshing it out.

Also, I really enjoy RPing a history with other players from time to time, so if anyone has an idea that would work well with a pair of characters (caster/bodyguard, siblings, pair of rogues that cover all the bases, paladin and cleric both sent by the church, etc) I’m all ears.

So long that you can post most days, and warn us when you can't, it should as be fine. And a bard would be cool.

Daigle, you had me at 'Fake Healer'....
Welcome aboard. If you plan on being away for an extended period, just post some SOP that your character would do in a combat sitch and the dm can keep it rolling. Once a day posting is usually the standard although more is welcome.
I love Bards!

I don't plan on being away, but my schedule will be a bit busy soon with writing projects and trying to salvage my home group (Don't ask, stupid drama) by running RotRL for them to keep it all together. I can certainly manage a post or nine a day. (Nine on good days)

I do think this will be a s%&&load of fun and look forward to playing with some of my favorite people here!

Riese Townser’s amazing history, a story of greatness.

I was an extremely gifted child. I was born with a natural penchant for acquiring knowledge. By the time I was 5 years old I could speak 2 languages beyond the common tongue. I was already a mathematical genius and learned my parents trading business enough that, for fun, I would do the record keeping and maintain the daily operating paperwork for them.
As I grew a bit older and tried to interact with persons of my own age, I found that most were quite jealous of my blossoming superior intellect. The mush-brained will always feel a need to cause harm to their betters in order to feel a sense of superiority. Lucky for me that my natural gifts extended into the physical realm of development also. I had speed and grace. My stamina was unparalleled in my ‘peers’. Those fine qualities coupled with my superior intellect was usually more then sufficient to keep me away from my detractors.
Anyway more towards the present, and off of this childhood musings…
I was scouring the used bookstore for some type of books that may pose a challenge to one of my extreme intellect when I stumbled upon a tome of mystical writings. Flipping through the book I saw something in this tome to FINALLY challenge my mind. I purchased the book at a steal, for the imbecile behind the counter of the store knew not of what he had.
Whilst unraveling the mysteries within I discovered the tome to be the spell book of a mage with a bit of reputation. The proper thing to do would be to return the lost grimoire, but I decided to make a couple of copies for mine own usage. I had decided to teach myself the mystical arts. Through great expense and vast blocks of time spent, I managed to manufacture 2 copies of the Tome, 1 I can use for a backup while the other is for more strenuous usage. I took the original and returned it to its owner, who offered to accept me as a student.
Why would one such as myself need the tutelage of an Arcanist who can’t keep track of his own belongings? I told the mage that his instruction was not needed and left, a pitiful reward in hand.
I have almost broken the mystical codes and arcane formuli. I am beginning to understand the power that lies just beyond the edge of my learning. Not long now and the story of the greatest wizard in history shall begin! My greatness will be legend!

I figure that all the spells learned from leveling would be in one book while the traveling spellbook would hold the full compliment of spells. Mechanically the same as usual but more flavor for my dude.

My guys is almost useless at 1st level though because he can't cast spells. Basically he is a crossbowman until next level when he starts his Evoker career.
Also for RP reasons and for his background I consider him to have Scribe Scroll now although he really doesn't until next level. He won't have any scrolls or use the feat until he 'really' gets it so it won't effect gameplay in anyway except to help explain how he made a spellbook for himself in his background.

"Rice, sorry thar laddie but ah fell asleepin' et the 'gifted child' part, cood ye say thet agin'!"

"Rorry!"

Hey, MOTHMAN, Patrick's gettin' the best of you in the dice game/mockery contest on the World Serpent thread.

Fakey, that's hilarious.

One mod; in Saltmarsh there isn't a Giant Glass-Bubbled Temple of Boccob; DM Fiat Zoning Commission won't allow it; Too much 'Vegas for my idea of a "sleepy Cornish fishing village."
There is, however, a "library." You borrowed....a book,...that somehow accidentally made it into more general circulation. YOu felt like you were being watched at the time, though the basement vault of the library yielded no other occupant to usual senses. Just the chill in the air, and the palpable stink of ancient volumes sprayed with biting chymicals as proof against the eternal humidity and salty stink of the ocean.

I don't plan on being away, but my schedule will be a bit busy soon with writing projects and trying to salvage my home group (Don't ask, stupid drama) by running RotRL for them to keep it all together. I can certainly manage a post or nine a day. (Nine on good days)

I do think this will be a s#&~load of fun and look forward to playing with some of my favorite people here!

1) Kruelade dwarven fighter with a dog. (stats done).
2) Aubrey said dual-wielding halfling barbarian raised by goblins(stats done).
3) Mothers said human rogue
4) Vatters said straight wizard
5) Alex Martin said paladin or cleric
6) Haven't heard from Ragadolf
7) Daigle said a bard possibly.
8) Fakey said human evoker/paragon(stats done).

Fakey, that's hilarious.

One mod; in Saltmarsh there isn't a Giant Glass-Bubbled Temple of Boccob; DM Fiat Zoning Commission won't allow it; Too much 'Vegas for my idea of a "sleepy Cornish fishing village."

I've been trying to wrap my head around that one because I like it. A lot.

I think that's a wee bit Vegas too. The place is there and all; I just don't grok to a big permanent image of a Rose McGowan with green hair doing a pole dance on the entrance marqee. Next there will be a gigantic yellow "M" on the butchery next door.

I've been trying to wrap my head around that one because I like it. A lot.

I like the whole place and the background is cool, however the dancing
Rose McGowan with green hair is a bit much...

I'm thinking he's a real loser... the dwarf, not the dog.
Maybe I'll call him Tobus.

Hey, MOTHMAN, Patrick's gettin' the best of you in the dice game/mockery contest on the World Serpent thread.

Fakey, that's hilarious.

One mod; in Saltmarsh there isn't a Giant Glass-Bubbled Temple of Boccob; DM Fiat Zoning Commission won't allow it; Too much 'Vegas for my idea of a "sleepy Cornish fishing village."
There is, however, a "library." You borrowed....a book,...that somehow accidentally made it into more general circulation. YOu felt like you were being watched at the time, though the basement vault of the library yielded no other occupant to usual senses. Just the chill in the air, and the palpable stink of ancient volumes sprayed with biting chymicals as proof against the eternal humidity and salty stink of the ocean.

Beldan is a … er … tourist from the big city. Had to leave in a hurry, a misunderstanding with a locked door, a bag of gold, and an over-zealous watchman. (I need to read the Keoland thing properly Heath, I’ll put names to names at that point).

He’s a stealthy fellow with nimble figures … can keep himself out of sight, and has rarely met a lock he couldn’t open. He’s not a second story man, or one for moonlight steeple chases. He can cut a purse with the best of them, but he’s a lover, not a fighter. If he can’t talk himself out of a tight spot (and on a good day he can), he’d rather run for it (and, at a safe distance, turn and fire a parting shot with his crossbow).

He should be a good man to have around in a dungeon (long as there’s someone to fight for him, and if his general poor observational skills don’t get him into trouble), but he’s like a sore thumb out in the wilds.

I don't plan on being away, but my schedule will be a bit busy soon with writing projects and trying to salvage my home group (Don't ask, stupid drama) by running RotRL for them to keep it all together. I can certainly manage a post or nine a day. (Nine on good days)

I do think this will be a s%%!load of fun and look forward to playing with some of my favorite people here!

dungeonmaster heathy wrote:

Fakey, that's hilarious.

One mod; in Saltmarsh there isn't a Giant Glass-Bubbled Temple of Boccob; DM Fiat Zoning Commission won't allow it; Too much 'Vegas for my idea of a "sleepy Cornish fishing village."
There is, however, a "library." You borrowed....a book,...that somehow accidentally made it into more general circulation. YOu felt like you were being watched at the time, though the basement vault of the library yielded no other occupant to usual senses. Just the chill in the air, and the palpable stink of ancient volumes sprayed with biting chymicals as proof against the eternal humidity and salty stink of the ocean.

I never said anything about a Temple o' Boccob, my PC was digging through an old used book store and found the spellbook amonst the junk. The owner had no idea what it was and sold it cheap. My PC would never outright steal something. Neutral Good and all that. He is an arrogant bastard though, and will definately let others know how wonderful he is.

There are no coincidences.

Bard is cool, dude. If nobody wants to do a cleric, I can adapt things to make up for it somehow. I'm allready thinking about two mages and how I have to adapt for that...

dungeonmaster heathy wrote:

Bard is cool, dude. If nobody wants to do a cleric, I can adapt things to make up for it somehow. I'm allready thinking about two mages and how I have to adapt for that...

There's still Rags. Mebbe he'll cleric up for us.

I do have some questions. How often do posts and turns happen? How often is too often and what’s the time between posts where you veterans start thinking, “Man, why’s this guy even playing this game? Is this guy even playing this game?” How long do these games usually run, optimally of course. Point me to any PbP 101 threads that I may have missed. I like how y’all have your character sheets all fancy.

Also, again time permitting, check out some of the pbp threads. Aubrey's Rise of the Runelords is a good example of a well run, and generally well played game.

Aubrey's games are at about 6mo's and 10mo's old, but I think they usually crap out sooner than that...IDK.
If you post once a day or so, or show up and say, "hey real life is porking up my dungeon n dragonning, I have to attend a wedding in Uruguay," or whatever, that's usually cool.
We'll all get the hang of the pacing after a while.

Aubrey's games are at about 6mo's and 10mo's old, but I think they usually crap out sooner than that...IDK.

Alright, here's me. Might mix up the skills a bit, still need to finish equipment, description and polish up the background a bit.

Updated again...
1) Kruelade dwarven fighter with a dog. (stats done).
2) Aubrey said dual-wielding halfling barbarian raised by goblins(stats done).
3) Mothers said human rogue(stats done mostly).
4) Vatters said straight wizard(stats done).
5) Alex Martin said paladin or cleric
6) Haven't heard from Ragadolf
7) Daigle said a bard possibly.
8) Fakey said human evoker/paragon(stats done).

5 down, three to go!!!

Here's the straight wizard. I'll cook up some background in a day or two.

Here's the straight wizard. I'll cook up some background in a day or two.

3d4 x 10

A wizard begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells (except those from her prohibited school or schools, if any; see School Specialization, page 57) plus three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the wizard has (see Table 1–1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8), the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice.

Wizard starting gold is 3d4x10 gp,
looks like the spellbook is free.

Wizard starting gold is 3d4x10 gp,
looks like the spellbook is free.

Thanks dudes.

Ah, yes, the nightmare that is spell components. I'm sooooo picking Eschew Materials on level 3...

Also, how do you deal with monster summoning spells? I've always let my players summon whatever they want off the lists in the PH with no regard for alignment or previous summoning history or anything, but apparently that isn't really how the rules work... Do you have a system of your own, or do we go by the book?

Ah, yes, the nightmare that is spell components. I'm sooooo picking Eschew Materials on level 3...

Vattnisse wrote:

Ah, yes, the nightmare that is spell components. I'm sooooo picking Eschew Materials on level 3...

I don't really worry about them, except with expensive stuff like identify.

"My kingdom for a booger wad of bat guano." Meh...it's not like wizards aren't limited enough by blah 3 spells a day or whatever, now they gotta count their bat guano?

Stig's Story:
Nestled in an iron rich hill where the southern arm of the Good Hills meet the Dreadwood forest, not far from Copperhead, sits the small hold of the Woodhill Clan dwarves about 200 strong, enjoying brisk trade with the Barony of Westgate militias and cavalry based in Millen. Also called the Dreadhold dwarves, the Woodhills enjoy a reputation for having produced masterwork arms and armour for almost 100 years. Chief among the Woodhills in the forging of blades are the Mæch’Hæmmærs, especially their patriarch Sugwold.

Sugwold also has the reputation of being one of the most prolific breeders in dwarfdom, siring 8 boys: Larf, Egrold, Sammich, Ulgon, Poobis, Ænus, Ferris, and Stigwold; and here is where our story begins. Stigwold, the time he first nuzzled his mamma’s beard, was the nugget of his father’s eye, yet it didn’t take long for disappointment to set in as Stig proved to be a lazy, uncoordinated, foolish, and drunken child. It was not until his 39th birthday however that Stig’s father realized the boy needed to be thrown out. It all started when one of the blades Stig had forged shattered in the hands of a Westgate knight during an engagement with orcs, resulting in an embarrassing decapitation—embarrassing for the Mæch’Hæmmærs, that is.

So, with dubiously reliable weapons and armour of his own making, the lonely, drunken, rejected, and suicidal dwarf set off from the halls of his birth seeking… well, seeking some good ale. South he went, toward Brokenoak drinking his way from tavern to tavern and sleeping in fields and ditches, and eventually, as most do, he ran out of gold. Death by monster being all the more appealing than another day without ale, Stigwold veered off into the Dreadwood leaving a trail of dead goblins from the fringes of the forest into its heart, and there it was that Stig met his one and only friend: a cold, hungry and masterless young hound who was about to meet his demise on a spit over a goblin campfire. The hound became 'Tenser', after the great wizard in Greyhawk whose adventures were told around campfires. The goblin meat didn’t last long, and other game was scarce, so the pair set off again with empty bellies and what few coppers they had liberated, Stig in search of ale and gold, and Tenser in search of squirrels and rabbits.

Cutting south, Stig, who had always had a way with animals but not much common sense, did his best to teach the hound to scent gold, but quickly learned that Tenser had his own preferences. Stig’s first bout of luck in forty years, however, saw him make it to the southern edge of the Dreadwood alive.

And so we find Stig in Saltmarsh, renting a room and loading kegs for the Blue Frog Brewery. He can be found at the Lizard’s Boat, gorged on seafood and ale, and keeping a smile on patrons faces with his bizarre insights and vulgar jokes. He counts Kailee Restinan among his friends and enjoys some notoriety for seeing the dawning sun in a drinking contest held by his boss, Ryan Kirtap, who loves employing Stig because he can do the work of two men on the wage of one.

Tenser's Story:
Tenser is only marginally obedient, and probably tags along just because Stig feeds him and rubs his belly. He's a cowardly hound and does little to protect his alleged 'master' - although he does bark like he's on crack when hell breaks loose. Stig has tried time and again to get Tenser to track selected scents, such as gold and diamonds, but Tenser invariably leads his master to a choice squirrel chasing tree or a musty rabbit hole. So, I reckon you're thinking he's a good guard dog, I mean why else would someone keep him around? Well, Tenser usually sleeps deeply, but when awake he has been known to warn Stig about mice in the rations and other vermin, provided he's not howling at the moon.

Tenser remembers neither how he became a dog nor how he found himself on a goblin menu in the Dreadwood but that doesn't really matter because he knows his new friend, Stig, will always fill his bowl with guts and ale and rub his belly until he falls asleep.

And I don't make spellcasters use materials when I DM, either. Too much nuisance.

"Giyya oota ma fachinoose air ah kallyih! Yarl nae bot a hyuoohseliss coal muncher!!!
Arrays ave been array wall beh!!"
Sugwold's last words to the baby of the family before he went to blades on him.

Allright, I'm gonna kick the leadin on this adventure.
The setup is this briefly: you've all heard that they're hiring mercs at Fort Bale, about a day's ride west of Saltmarsh, (two days by foot) and so are heading there from various points across the globe, either from Saltmarsh, down the Hool River by barge, or from the Sheldomar Valley north of the Dreadwood, i.e. the Breadbasket of Keoland.

I won't kick a combat on you until everybody's shown up,

It's the ass-end of winter, spring is coming soon. It hasn't snowed in a month and it's all melted away, but it's still chilly nights.

Hey Heath, are we doing this here or in a separate game thread?

Not sure if hiring of mercs would appeal to Beldane that much – any word on what they’re wanted for?

Otherwise I might need to tag along with one of the other guys, maybe one of the wizards or the bard.

No, I just kicked it off on the game thread.

There isn't much explanation of the job.

Coolio, just saw it.

So ... who feels like travelling with the rogue?